Skip to content

Exploring Scotland’s Historic Places

  • Castles, Scottish Borders

    Horsburgh Castle: a 16th century border ruin

    Published by

    David

    on

    August 11, 2025
    Horsburgh Castle: a 16th century border ruin

    Horsburgh Castle (also known as Horsburgh Tower) sits on top of a hill roughly two miles (3.2 km) east of Peebles, overlooking the gentle sweep of the River Tweed. From this vantage point, the 16th-century tower would have dominated the…

    Continue reading →: Horsburgh Castle: a 16th century border ruin
  • Castles, Scottish Borders

    Whitslaid Tower: Insights into Border life and history

    Published by

    David

    on

    August 1, 2025
    Whitslaid Tower: Insights into Border life and history

    Whitslaid Tower is a ruined 16th-century tower house (Peel Tower). It sits on a strategic site high above the eastern bank of the Leader Water, approximately two miles (3.2 km) south of Lauder in the Scottish Borders. This ancient Berwickshire…

    Continue reading →: Whitslaid Tower: Insights into Border life and history
  • Castles, Scottish Borders

    Explore Neidpath Castle: A Journey Through Scottish History

    Published by

    David

    on

    July 28, 2025
    Explore Neidpath Castle: A Journey Through Scottish History

     Neidpath Castle is an impressive medieval L-plan tower house, dramatically positioned on a cliff overlooking the River Tweed, about a mile (1.6 km) west of Peebles. It has witnessed some 800 years of Scottish history, having hosted royalty, withstood sieges,…

    Continue reading →: Explore Neidpath Castle: A Journey Through Scottish History
  • Castles, Scottish Borders

    Rhymer’s Tower: Where Scottish Folklore meets History

    Published by

    David

    on

    July 22, 2025
    Rhymer’s Tower: Where Scottish Folklore meets History

    Rhymer’s Tower is the ruin of a 16th-century Border peel tower situated in the village of Earlston. It is tucked behind the aptly named Rhymer’s Tower Café, next to a petrol station on the A68. Not much remains today, but…

    Continue reading →: Rhymer’s Tower: Where Scottish Folklore meets History
  • Castles, Scottish Borders

    Unveiling the Ruins of Cardrona Tower

    Published by

    David

    on

    July 19, 2025
    Unveiling the Ruins of Cardrona Tower

    Cardrona Tower sits in a small clearing among the dense trees of Cardona Forest, high above the River Tweed. Built in the late 1500s by the Govan lairds, this modest L-plan tower house once formed part of an early-warning chain…

    Continue reading →: Unveiling the Ruins of Cardrona Tower
Previous Page Next Page

Greetings

Welcome to Thistle & Time. Here you can follow my exploration of Scotland’s many historic places.

Thistle & Time Podcast: Click for details

Menu

  • Home
  • About this blog
  • Background links
  • Towers, Peels and Bastles of the Scottish Borders

Let’s connect

    • Instagram
    • Bluesky
    • Mail

    Recent posts

    • The history of Ferniehirst Castle: raids, reivers, and royal intrigue

      The history of Ferniehirst Castle: raids, reivers, and royal intrigue

    • Exploring Bemersyde Tower: History and Architecture

      Exploring Bemersyde Tower: History and Architecture

    • Exploring Old Thirlestane Tower: A Historical Insight

      Exploring Old Thirlestane Tower: A Historical Insight

    • Bunkle Castle: Uncovering Scotland’s Medieval Heritage

      Bunkle Castle: Uncovering Scotland’s Medieval Heritage

    • Traquair House: Living History and Jacobite Legacy

      Traquair House: Living History and Jacobite Legacy

    • Whiteside Tower: Insights into Scottish Border History

      Whiteside Tower: Insights into Scottish Border History

    Post Categories

    • Abbey ruins
    • Aberdeenshire
    • Argyll & Bute
    • Blog news
    • Bridges
    • Castles
    • Cathedrals & Churches
    • Clackmannanshire
    • Dumfries & Galloway
    • East Lothian
    • Edinburgh City
    • Eilean Siar
    • Falkirk
    • Highland
    • Historic houses
    • Historical Events
    • Midlothian
    • Monuments
    • Perth & Kinross
    • Scottish Borders
    • Standing Stones
    • Stirling
    • West Lothian

    Thistle & Time

    • Instagram
    • Mail

    Blog at WordPress.com.

    • Subscribe Subscribed
      • Thistle & Time
      • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
      • Thistle & Time
      • Subscribe Subscribed
      • Sign up
      • Log in
      • Report this content
      • View site in Reader
      • Manage subscriptions
      • Collapse this bar

    Notifications